Game On! (IC)

[Raveled]

GM

The guards relaxed somewhat, but neither lowered their weapons. "Ye find yourself in the domain of King Harold the Bold," the older guard informed Dragonfly. "A score upon a score of years ago, the great hero Dumminas lead our fore-bearers out into this inhospitable wild, arift with monsters and bogeys. We have prospered here thanks to the strong leadership of our kings, and to our strong sword arms, putting all to flight before us. Yet even so, I cannot say that I expected to see a golem flying through the air and claiming to be a wizard."

[Fox]

Dragonfly had an awful surge to pinch the bridge of her nose, but her suit would have foiled her even if she'd tried...unless she retracted part of the helmet, of course, but she figured she'd rather not risk catching an arrow to the face. 'golem' - mmh - like trying to talk to crazy people - or young children - would prefer the young children [bg=#555555]"Am not a golem. Human - wearing a- ...suit of armor. Woven with magic. It's...nevermind. Do you have information on area at large? Or know someone who does? Would like a better idea of where I am."[/bg]

[Raveled]

GM

The guards exchanged a glanced and slowly up their polearms up, nodding to Dragonfly. "If thee be of woman born, we are honor-bound to aid thee. Come, and we shall present thee before the kind, where thee can make thine own argument." The guards worked the lock on the gate and swung it open, leading the hovering heroine into the castle's bailey. She noticed a dozen or so bowmen with loaded crossbows crouched on the curtain wall, their weapons trained inwards and tracking the heroine as she moved from the gatehouse and into the keep.

Inside the large stone building, it was immediately apparent that this castle was built for defense, not comfort. Narrow corridors with arrowslits high in the wall, walls that curved counter-clockwise, and bars on the doors all spoke to a very nearly paranoid mind-set. True to their word however, the guards led her past all these defenses unmolested. In time, they came to a large hall deep within the keep. Long fireplaces crackled along either wall and the far end was dominated by a high-backed chair of iron or black wood. A large man slouched in the chair, wrapped in many layers of furs. A simple gold circlet sat upon his brow, and his face was buried in his hands.

The guards stopped Dragonfly a good distance away from the throne and the veteran pounded the butt of his halberd against the ground. "The sorceress Dragon's Flight," he announced, "come to ask a boon of the king." He stepped back and caught the heroine's eye (as well as he could behind her helmet) and motioned for her to speak.

[Raveled]

The alien continued to force its way into the space station and Ironclad continued to retreat. Even as she flew backwards though, the heroine brought up her gauntlets and hunted for an appropriate target on the monster. It actually wasn't hard to find; the creature's head blocked out most of the hallway. She wasn't surprised that her shot, even over-charged as it was, struck the beast square on its ridged skull. She felt some dismay, though, when it glanced off the alien's thick skull and burst on the ceiling, leaving just a black stain for her troubles.

[Fox]

'Dragon's Flight' turned her head a bit to frown at the veteran. [bg=#555555]"Dragonfly,"[/bg] she sourly corrected. [bg=#555555]"Like the insect. Not--..mmhh. Nevermind."[/bg]

She turned back to the king, stepping forward a bit. She was keeping a careful watch of those guards and archers, though...not because she thought most of them could honestly hurt her (certainly not before she got away), but because if she ended up panicking the lot of them she'd never get any answers at all. not even sure how to talk to a king - respect? - should probably talk normally - or closer to normal - hate that [bg=#555555]"King...Harold. I am from...very far away. Brought here by...someone who should know better."[/bg] That little memory got her to make a fist, which flickered with just the hint of twisted space; her wing nodes, since deactivated as she was led through the building, flickered as well with their blueish energy, but only for a moment. [bg=#555555]"Would - I would appreciate information on the area. Even just seeing maps, figuring out what's nearby that could help me get back."[/bg]

[Raveled]

GM

For a moment it seemed as if the king hadn't heard Dragonfly, but then he bestirred himself and dropped his hands from his face. His countenance was drawn and haggard, with a day or so of subtle on his cheeks. He fixed the heroine with his gaze for a moment, before his eyes began to wander aimlessly over the room. "These lands," he said, almost too softly to be heard. "These lands are cursed, and we are accursed for our forebearers choice to settle here. Pick a direction and fly, little winged woman, and your lot shall be better than ours." He stood and stumbled out of the room, slouching against the walls and moving listlessly.

Once the king was out of sight, the grizzled guard gave a cough and muttered to Dragonfly under his breath. "I apologize for his majesty, good lady. Last night -- no, two nights ago, for the dawn has come upon us already -- his daughter was snatched out her bedchambers by a foul revenant. If she is not retrieved by the setting of this sun, she shall join the monster in damnation. It weighs most heavily upon the king's head."

[Fox]

Dragonfly watched the man leave, two kinds of unamused written all over her face for nobody to see. 'little winged-' - not THAT little - am I? - kidnapped princess - is supposed to be a game - sounds like an obvious - phrase - 'plot hook'? - besides - don't trust Quirk to not be using actual people and real danger - dragon was real enough [bg=#555555]"Fine,"[/bg] she said, all business. The plates of her gauntlets shifted a bit, flexing to allow the machinery underneath them to whir and click for a moment as she ran her suit through a systems check. She'd really been hoping not to have to fight anything else after that dragon, but she could probably keep her armor going for a while yet.... [bg=#555555]"Where is the revenant?"[/bg]

[Raveled]

GM

The soldiers did a double-take did a double-take at Dragonfly's blunt, no-nonsense tone. It took them a moment to process what she was talking about, and then they couldn't move her through the castle fast enough. They all ended up in the highest level of the keep, a single huge room overflowing with tightly-wrapped scrolls and dominated by a single huge table. While the younger guard stood watch at the trap-door leading down, the veteran pulled several scrolls from the shelves and unrolled them on the table. The first was a slightly fanciful take on the surrounding landscape (at least, Dragonfly hadn't seen any miles-long serpents looping through the clouds when she was flying earlier). The second scroll showed a blonde-haired woman wearing an elaborate tiara. The last scroll was dominated by a pale, bat-faced creature dressed with what looked like a formal tux, of all things.

The veteran leaned over the scrolls and called the heroine's attention to them one by one. "This is where we are," he said, pointing to a part of the map marked Castle Dummestain. "The monster keeps its lair here." The guard's finger stabbed at one edge of the map, at a point labeled Manse deClarim. The young genius' mind quickly took in the whole of the area depicted, and she couldn't help but estimate where she had fought the dragon; if she was close, that point, the castle she was in now, the manse she was preparing to travel to all hung at the points of an equilateral triangle.

Interrupting her thoughts, the veteran pulled the other two scrolls over. "This is the Princess Rosaline," he said, gesturing to the blonde-hair woman, "and this is the Count deClarim." The latter was directed at the pallid, disfigured creature. "The monster hasn't bestirred itself in living memory, but there are still stories of when it walked abroad. They say," he added, leaning closer and whispering, "that when it last assaulted this castle, it bent the will of the soldiers and the king with a word. Only the prince, wielding a hold sword, was able to drive it off once again."

[Fox]

a vampire? - really - have met one before - I think - but princess-kidnapping - mmh [bg=#555555]"Don't...phrase...'put much stock' in holy weapons. I don't, I mean,"[/bg] Dragonfly replied, frowning at the pictures. The princess seemed oddly familiar, but for some reason she couldn't quite place the face. [bg=#555555]"But will do what I can."[/bg]

That, apparently, was all she had to say on the matter. She backtracked through the castle just until she could find a window that'd fit her and simply jumped out of it, wings flaring to life and propelling her at top speed toward the Count's land...or, at least, as close as she could get on the directions of an old map. priorities - save the princess - defeat the vampire? - find out why he's active after so long? - mmh - unknown powers - will have to be careful of that

[Raveled]

The alien monster opened its jaws again and sent another stream of viscous, acidic liquid streaming after the heroine. Ironclad dropped to the decking and avoided taking a splash in the face or chest, but still saw a thin line etched across the armor on her hips and waist. Underneath her helmet, the heroine' brow creased in frustration and anger -- frustration at herself for not finishing this fight, and anger at Quark for endangering her friend and herself so casually.

When her armored form hit the decking, she didn't bother springing upright. Instead she lined up and fired off another shot at the alien. This one caught it full on its crowned head and forced its skull back against its body. This stopped the monster dead in its tracks and it sat there for a moment, legs waving aimlessly.

[Raveled]

GM

Dragonfly flew fast through the ait, the land below her blurring together. Even then, she noticed that she was leaving the hills and valleys for a broad, flat plain. The grasslands gave way to tall, old growth forests, the thick, interlocking canoopy hiding any glimpse of the shadowed floor.

The heroine was wondering if she was going to have to zip between the trees in order to find the manse when she noticed a square stone tower poking up above the treeline. It was encrusted with vines and even had flowering plants sprouting off the side. As it was, except for the squared-off top, it could've been and eceptionally tall tree.

Dragonfly dripped underneath the canopy and there, sure as anything, was the manse she had been looking for. It was a long, tall building, the peak fo the roof brushing the underside of the canopy. There was a donjon every bit as large as the keep of the castle she had just come from. Wings came off either side of the central building in a gentle curve; from the air, the layout would look like a gigantic letter C.

Each wing ended in a tall, square tower. Draognfly had noticed the south tower, but the north tower had been pulled down at some point in the past, likely by the ivy that covered the entire edifcae. The hole that the tower left was an inviting entry point.

[Fox]

Far be it from Dragonfly to turn down an invitation in a world apparently modeled after video games. probably invisible clipping walls around other windows anyway, she dryly observed as she swept down toward the ruin-created 'doorway'. She played it cautious, though - a close, thermographic eye was kept on her surroundings, and her defenses were as far up as she could get them after the technological strain of bringing down a dragon.

She was pretty sure there was some saying about parlors and spiders and flies, but she was too preoccupied to remember it.

[Raveled]

GM

The interior of the manse was gloomy and threatening, the windows occluded by dirt and plant-growth to the point where Dragonfly couldn't see two feet in front of her -- in the visible spectrum, at least. Her IR sensors were unimpeded and painted the long, open hallway in shades of cool blue and green, with none of the warmer yellows and red that would have indicated a living creature.

"Vell vell, another strange visitor to my home." The voice came from directly behind her. The heroine turned to see a short, slim form between her and the obvious exit. "I have no use for strange golems such as yourself. Although." The shadowed figure cocked its head to the side. "I hear a heart beating within you. Is that merely a macabre affection of the one that crafted you, or is there a living being under that armor?"

[Fox]

Dragonfly narrowed her eyes, glad that she'd kept her defenses up...and perturbed that she hadn't noticed the man before now. should probably be cautious - acted too quickly last time - mmh - this is why I prefer to hang back and plan - heartbeat - lie? - not very good at it - deflect - diplomacy? [bg=#555555]"'Another'?"[/bg] she finally asked. [bg=#555555]"Was not aware anyone had come before me. Suppose any visitors to ruined buildings are strange. Would...appreciate reasonable discussion about the release of the princess...probably anyone else you have captured or imprisoned. Easier that way."[/bg]

[Raveled]

Ironclad watched the massive alien recoil from her blast and took the chance. She braced herself against the decking in a classic sprinter's pose and charged, transferring power away from her wrist blasters and to her suit's servos. Just before she hit she let out a war cry that reverberated off the close, metal corridor and almost drowned out the sound of her gauntleted fist cracking the alien's exoskeleton -- almost. Yellow-green goop fountained out of the hole, leaving her drenched in the stuff. Thankfully not all of the suit's sensors where on her mask and she retained enough spatial awareness to step back as the insect-like alien spasmed and finally lay still. The heroine took several steps back and tried to clean herself by rubbing her hands, arms, and even legs against the bulkhead, but it did very little. Then, as she watched, the alien seemed to shrink back into itself, growing paler and more brittle. In a manner of seconds the creature mummified before her eyes, reducing it to the same papery husk that she'd stumbled across elsewhere on the station. Come to think of it, the robotic remains she'd found had been nearly rusted through! Something very odd was happening on this space station.

[Raveled]

GM

"Ah, the reluctant king's little daughter." There was a rush of wind and the figure... fell apart, dissolving into an insubstantial fog that rolled past Dragonfly's feet, reforming past her and several feet down the hall. "I was hoping you would be more sporting than the heroes who flocked to my manse when they heard of my resurrection." It gestured idly and for the first time the heroine noticed the suits of plate armor lining the wall, standing at eternal attention. No doubt they were rusted through, but after a moment's examination she noticed that faces could been seen behind several faceplates. They all registered cold and dull; a chilling reminder of just what sort of creature she was dealing with.

The dim figure -- certainly the vampire she'd been sent to deal with -- turned on her suddenly and held out its arm, beckoning her onward. "Why must you fight me? If your armor matches your form, then you should join me. After all, I must gather my brides before I go out into the world again. Sleep, brave knight, sleep."

[Fox]

Dragonfly felt the mind control - oh, she felt it - but by the time it made its way into her brain it was nothing but static and noise, divorced from its original intent.

Unless that intent was to piss her off, anyway. If that was the case, it worked quite well indeed. Even her suit looked pissed off: the lenses flared, the wings burst into being behind her as four long blades of neon blue light, and she braced herself as similar light seemed to run along between every seam and line, working inward from her extremities and gathering at her gauntlets. Those gauntlets used the energy to build a very, very large distortion that got hurled straight at the vampire's chest. It rippled and twisted through the air like a hungry thing, and even after hitting him seemed to linger, like it was clinging, devouring. [bg=#555555]"Stay out of my head!"[/bg]

[Raveled]

GM

Dragonfly's bright blue lances of energy lit up the hallway, giving her a split-second glimpse of mouldering drapes and carpets that were more fungus than fabric. The disgusting sight didn't distract her from her attack, however, and it hit dead-solid on the vampire, drawing an inhuman scream of agony from the creature. Its form faded into mist again, but the heroine's strange energy didn't dissipate; it clung to the tendrils of fog, and she heard another spine-chilling scream as the the insubstantial creature rose to the ceiling and streamed through cracks there, disappearing from sight.

[Fox]

Dragonfly may have been in a bit of a hurry, but she still took a moment to make a rude gesture at the ceiling and cast doubts on the vampire's maternal lineage before moving on at a pretty good speed, skimming along the ground at a pretty good speed to try to track down the princess. The headache she was bound to have later aside, that had been awfully cathartic, and sending creatures of the night fleeing wasn't too bad for raising one's spirits. have to wonder how Ironclad is doing - probably well - should hurry - don't know where vampire went - should move while he's - phrase? - 'licking his wounds'

[Raveled]

GM

Dragonfly quickly sped through the deserted wing of the manse, noting more signs of decay and corruption the farther she traveled. Wooden sideboards and chairs were dessicated sticks, or just a pile of ash. Plush drapes fell apart into mold and dust. Walls were stained by fungal growths and odd discolorations. All in all, it seemed that the vampire's powers didn't extend to preserving or repairing his domicile.

The heroine followed the gentle curve of the wide, open hallway as she neared the central building. She could see a pair of tall doors ahead of her, and through them what she presumed was the antechamber of the entire complex. As she neared the portal however, it slammed shut in front of her, raising a cloud of dust. She drew up short as the hall was filled with the sound of metal squealing on metal. The rusty suits of armor lining the hallway shuddered into life, shambling out to block the path between Dragonfly and the door. Her IR sensors still registered them as cold and by all rational thought they should be inanimate, but nevertheless they raised rusting, metal-shod fists to stand in her way.

[Fox]

zombies - hate zombies - ugly - smell bad - never give up Dragonfly shot up into the air almost as soon as the armored corpses started moving...or, at least, as far up as she could manage within the confines of the hallway. Last time she'd let herself get within arms' reach of a zombie hoard she'd gotten dog-piled, and it had taken ages to get the smell out of her jacket.

got knocked out too, she mused, raining a blast down on the nearest shambling armored form. not the zombies' fault though - Push - ugh - another reason to hate zombies - annoying memories

[Raveled]

GM

Dragonfly's blast lanced straight down and smashed one of the armored zombies, ripping it apart and scattering the bits from wall to wall. The remaining deadites crowded together, reaching up to the heroine and moaning loudly. As she watched, the rusted armor that the creatures were encased it began to flak apart as the undead monsters rubbed together. Then, disgustingly, their flesh melted together, one zombie joining with another until it was impossible to tell where one ended and another began. Even as this was happening more and more of the dead, armored soldiers shuffled down the corridor and threw themselves into the fleshy amalgam, being absorbed and adding their mass to the monster. Bones cracked and flesh sloughed and reformed, as a huge hand slowly reached out of the goo-monster and flexed fingers as big as Dragonfly, swiping at her ineffectually.

[Fox]

that's...gross - so so gross - why Dragonfly nimbly dodged around the creature's grasping hands as her armor flared again in a manner that would have been all too familiar to the vampire, if he hadn't run off: both gauntlets built up a hungry, lashing distortion that got dropped right onto the super-zombie's head, washing over it like a hungry, angry living force. why would you even create something like this - so gross - at least it's big and slow - and gross

[Raveled]

GM

Dragonfly's attack blasted several zombies an instant before they were assimilated, but the massive undead creature didn't seem too affected by the attack. It swung another oversized paw at the darting superheroine, but she was able to slip away with room to spare. The creature did manage to smash several rafters and other supports, starting a steady stream of dust and other particles from the ceiling beams.

[Fox]

Dragonfly took aim and gave the amassed fleshpile another twisting, if smaller, distortion to the face, trying to simultaneously dodge its hands and keep an eye on the ceiling. [bg=#555555]"Trying to bring down the...? ....of course you are. Mmh. Wonder if it's on purpose or by accident. Zombies...probably accident. Not very smart. Bright side: suppose if I survive the collapse, I have easy escape from you. Large if. Would rather not find out."[/bg]